Vice President Mike Pence, who is scheduled to raise money for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine in Cincinnati, both oppose laws that would ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing, employment, and in public spaces, both oppose protections for LGBTQ youth facing bullying and harassment, and both have long crusaded against marriage equality.

As Pence and DeWine campaign together and push their extreme, anti-equality agendas, HRC is on the ground mobilizing our members and supporters and nearly 1.6 million Equality Voters in Ohio to reject the politics of hate and elect Richard Cordray Ohio’s next governor.

In Ohio, HRC has identified more than 1,550,000 “Equality Voters” — voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Ohio in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground in the state. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.